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Osaka vs Yokohama

for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Yokohama edges it, 68 to 67, winning 3 of the 9 factors. Osaka is stronger on cost of living; Yokohama on internet. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

Cost of living: 4.3 of 67 points (scores 39/100)Safety: 10.5 of 67 points (scores 94/100)Healthcare: 10.2 of 67 points (scores 92/100)Internet: 8.2 of 67 points (scores 74/100)Visa ease: 7.2 of 67 points (scores 65/100)Getting there & around: 8.7 of 67 points (scores 79/100)Climate: 0.0 of 67 points (scores 0/100)Air quality: 10.0 of 67 points (scores 90/100)Quality of life: 8.2 of 67 points (scores 74/100)67
Osaka
out of 100

Japan's food capital with Tokyo's rail and lower rents

Full Osaka profile →Where to stay in Osaka →
Cost of living: 2.4 of 68 points (scores 21/100)Safety: 10.5 of 68 points (scores 94/100)Healthcare: 10.2 of 68 points (scores 92/100)Internet: 9.6 of 68 points (scores 86/100)Visa ease: 7.2 of 68 points (scores 65/100)Getting there & around: 9.5 of 68 points (scores 85/100)Climate: 0.9 of 68 points (scores 8/100)Air quality: 9.7 of 68 points (scores 87/100)Quality of life: 8.2 of 68 points (scores 74/100)68
Yokohama
out of 100

Japan's second city: a calmer, cheaper neighbour of Tokyo on the bay

Full Yokohama profile →Where to stay in Yokohama →

Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

MetricOsakaYokohama
Cost of living39 ✓21
Safety9494
Healthcare9292
Internet7486 ✓
Visa ease6565
Getting there & around7985 ✓
Climate08 ✓
Air quality90 ✓87
Quality of life7474

Cost

MetricOsakaYokohama
Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city$1,719 ✓$2,700
Central one-bedroom rent$909no data

Safety and health (country-level)

MetricOsakaYokohama
Homicides per 100k0.230.23
Political stability (0–100)87.787.7
UHC service coverage (0–100)8686
Life expectancy84.5 yrs84.5 yrs

Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

MetricOsakaYokohama
Download48.7 Mbps77.1 Mbps ✓
Upload17.2 Mbps71 Mbps ✓

Visa

MetricOsakaYokohama
Nomad visaDigital nomad visa (Designated Activities)Digital nomad visa (Designated Activities)
Minimum income for the visa$5,285/mo$5,285/mo
Entry, US passport90 days90 days
Entry, EU passport90 days90 days
Entry, UK passport90 days90 days

Getting there and around

MetricOsakaYokohama
Non-stop airport destinations80161 ✓
Walkability (1–5, editorial)44
Transit (1–5, editorial)55

Climate and air

MetricOsakaYokohama
Comfortable months per year01 ✓
Annual mean PM2.59.4 µg/m³ ✓10.9 µg/m³

✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.

Frequently asked

Which is cheaper, Osaka or Yokohama?
Osaka is cheaper: about $1,719 per month versus $2,700 for one person.
Is Osaka or Yokohama safer?
Osaka scores higher on safety (94 vs 94), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
Where is the internet faster, Osaka or Yokohama?
Yokohama: a measured median of 77.1 Mbps versus 48.7 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).

More comparisons

Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100); Victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population (national data, latest year); UHC service coverage index; Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes; M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024); Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables); NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means); WHO Ambient Air Quality Database, June 2026 update (V8); Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023); EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band); Walkability and transit ratings (editorial); Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Nostos long-stay visa guides; Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.10.7. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.